Christmas Day - continued 🎄

 

Drifting squalls of heavy mizzle ,blowing in from the North West .Chasing us as we walk across the cliffs.

                       It started to brighten up and we spotted a Chough .

The mizzle drifting in again and a very cold North wind stinging our noses for the first time this Winter as we turned to walk back .

We haven't done very much today , tired from all the power cut nonsense ! 

Opened a few presents together , happiness ! Thankful  . Enjoyed our Christmas lunch . 

Packets of seeds have been arriving in the post and I sorted out a little red book to make my garden notes in for 2024 . I am starting to get that feeling again .....I want to get started but I have to sort a few things out first ..like the electric windowsill propagator and all the little pots with their lids and the extension wire . These things are all up in the shed at the moment and when we had the new windows put in a few weeks ago , my husband removed the shelf that goes under the windowsill. So need to find that again and .....what else ? .....yes.... compost ...I have some seed compost coming any day now .

Went outside and stood pondering for a while .. I can't wait to get my hands into the good earth again ! 

I've been clearing brambles and nettles up on this North facing bank which faces the front of our cottage . 

I'm still aching from falling up the steps the other day , so I do a little and rest for a bit , then do a bit more and so on . We look out to this part of the garden and in the Winter I like it to be as tidy as I can manage . It's a bit tricky as it is on a slope .

I particularly love the shape of this sweet low and slightly weeping Acer . I like to see it against the bare earth beneath it . I rake out anything that is underneath it and give it a mulch . 

Probably woodchip this year as I have so much of it after the hedgerow was coppiced .

                                My bestie the Robin swoops in to keep me company .

               He enjoyed quite a feast while I raked up the weeds and moss . 

I will do the mulching tomorrow if the weather is not too bad . I believe Wednesday is going to be a bit rough , so it will be good to get that job done . Enough pondering outside in the mizzle ! 

   We had enjoyed a beautiful Christmas Eve Lunch at my daughter's with our very excited grandchildren . It was a splendid meal and when it got dark ,we had sparklers in the garden ! 

 Then as you know ,we came home and had an exciting evening of no electricity ! The power is back on again , although maybe flickering every now and then .

 For me the worst thing was going to bed without my old stone hot-water-bottle to keep my toes warm . I have done myself a hot water bottle early this evening , just in case it goes off again .

 I  will stop now and wish you a peaceful evening . 

                🎄      I hope you had a very nice Christmas . 🌿🤍🌿

Christmas Power-cuts !

 

                        9.30 pm Christmas Eve ....and the electricity goes off !

So  a couple of days ago , they came and changed the box on the telegraph pole .

        It was to be " a more modern , shiny up to date one " one of  the men told me .

                                      Say goodbye to the old one .

               

                         ..... and hello to the  new one  .

This was a big job , we had been warned they were coming to do this by letter and that the power would be off for up to five hours . 

 So we had prepared our meals and flasks of coffee and lit the woodburning stove and made up hot water-bottles to keep us warm .

Here's the new one ....which doesn't look any different to the old one . We had hoped that it might be a smaller more streamlined , nicer looking one .....sigh ...

Next day we had  flickering lights and the clock on the oven was flashing , so we knew the power had cut out during the night .

 They came back and were working on it the next evening and the next evening . Still had the flickering lights and the oven clock flashing again .

Christmas Eve - 9.30 pm  and the electricity goes off again .

                                                   Candle-light again !

                             The National Grid team are here again .

Working on seriously dangerous electricity cables high up , in the dark , in the heavy Cornish mizzle  .

                             Heroes ! Grateful that they have been able to come !

 Nevertheless we are fed up ! 

 No warning . No electricity to boil a kettle and have a nice cup of tea ,no flask ,  no T.V, no computer  .

Feeling cold ! Torches and candles again .

Worrying about all the food thawing in the fridge and the freezer !

                               

            We hang up our Christmas stockings and get off to bed , with no hot water-bottles !

 I lay there listening to the the noise of the lorry in our drive and other vehicles, generators, men working and shouting to each other .

 I guess they would rather be at home with their families on Christmas Eve . We are grateful to them .

       But I do wonder why this couldn't have been done sometime during the Summer !

                          Up early to light the fire and have a cup of tea .

                              It's Christmas Day morning ....and the electricity is on ! 

                Oh thank goodness ! I hope it stays on , so we can cook our lunch .

                              🎄   Oh .....Merry Christmas everyone ! 🎄

                                                                    🕊️

p.s. We'll check on the neighbours in a little while .

I tripped up the steps !

 

We had been talking about getting hand rails either side of these garden steps ever since my husband had hip replacement surgery . He was dithering over how much they'd cost and how they would look and he is walking about just fine now he says .

ANYWAY

 Then I went and tripped .  I stupidly fell UP the steps ! My wellington boot got caught under the bottom step and I slammed down on my face across the top .

 Nothing broken , but I'm still hurting under my ribs , my back , my left shoulder and arm .

So that was it ! 

Our good friend gave us a fair price and a lovely job of it was done in no time . Husband very happy !

We are SO pleased with them . No more accidents and they look so nice. Husband very ,very Happy !

    I planted it up with a few lovely things . Cyclamen , Heuchera and tiny Hearts-ease Violas .

 We are just "over the moon " with it all and so glad we finally had these hand rails put in .

                          AND he also made a new gate to my secret fern garden ..... 

                                      ......... I am SO happy !

It's turned quite mild again ....

 

 

         ....... the Roses are giving us a bit of colour still .

                      Mild  but we have had a lot of rain , which pleases my Primulas .

We pull on our wellies and go for our morning walk down the lane .

Home for lunch .

Then on with the wellies and off to the post office to post off all our cards and a couple of parcels . 

A second short walk at Kynance to blow the cob-webs away  .

A coffee at Poldhu ....

 .....stand and watch the waves ....

.....a couple of surfers out there having fun .

We didn't see it ,but there was talk of a seal down there on the sea wall this morning , they were asking people to please keep their dogs on the lead .  I hope it was o.k. 🦭

       Home again , and at my doorstep , the last of the lovely Acer leaves . 

                                                     🍁🍂🍃🍁

Dark Winter Days

 I still don't feel very Christmassy. . sigh ...but I put up the Christmas tree in the lounge and forced myself to go out side and gather a couple of bunches of holly to hang on the gate and beside our front door . A simple wooden Nativity scene on my kitchen windowsill .

                          ...and that made me feel a bit better . 

Cards have been written and sent off ...not so many as previous years . Aagh the postage ! Royal  Mail 75p second class and £ 1.25 first class !   So sad .... and at a time when it means so much to all of us to reach out and send some love .  🤍

It's been wild and windy . We don't let it stop us though . We wrap up warm and take our morning walk across the cliffs .

                      Heavy squally showers . First the sun comes out ....

                       ....then it goes in again and we make a run for shelter !

                       Not doing so much in the garden , the ground is very wet .

                       I light the fire and spend a relaxing hour or so stitching  .

                                                               🤍🕊️🤍

Frost !

                                  Woke up to a beautiful sunrise across a frosted meadow .

                                                Brrrrr ........Lit the fire .

It's going to be very, very cold tonight !

 Someone told me that temps are possibly going down to -5 degrees tonight !  

                      Brrr....we are not used to that kind of cold !  

 I have thrown some hessian sack cloth over the big Agave . It has large slate tiles around it's base to make the rain run away from it's roots . They really don't like rain .

Many places around Cornwall had snow yesterday . Here on the Lizard Peninsula , we just had rain . Lots of it ! 

                           Checked the cover on the outside tap is secure .

                             Thrown newspapers over my precious ones .

Lit the lantern with three 8hour candles . I hope this will take the extreme chill off . The greenhouse is slightly flooded after yesterday's relentless torrential rain . There is nothing I can do about it except just hope for the best . 

Back outside , I check the fleece is down over my Sweet-peas . Let's have a peek inside and see how they're doing .

                                          They are all germinating ! Look !

                             Something to look forward to next Spring .

                             Earlier today the sun shone in the blue sky . It's been lovely !

The Dogwoods have dropped their leaves and the red stems are gleaming .

                                                  Lots of berries on the Holly for the wildlife .

                                     We took our walk over the cliff fields .

                               Sunny but very cold . Good to get out though . 

                               I lit the fire when we got home.  Cosy and warm .

I started writing a few Christmas cards and this evening I'm doing a little more of my embroidery .

                               Hope all is well with you 🕊️❄️🤍 x